Looks like the Racist...errr Republican Party hopefuls have thrown in their hats to try and kick Obama out of the "Black House" and attempt to reinstate the Fourth Reich that Bush-Cheney created.

So far the contenders are:

Mitt "Universal Healthcare" Romney

probably the front-runner, after coming up a tad short in 2008. Can his Mormon faith (at least he ain't Muzlim) and his socialist Obamney Care allow him to sneak by?
Strengths: a republican who is actually articulate
Weaknesses: Mormon religion and subsidized healthcare for the poor

Michelle "Sarah Palin v 2.0" Bachmann

I know nothing about her asides from the fact that along with Palin, she too could possibly star in granny-**** [played by Lisa Ann] if the campaign doesn't go too well.
Strengths: No Down Syndrome kids to distract her in the Oval Office.
Weaknesses: Makes Sarah Palin look smart.

Rick "I'm So Slick" Santorum

He's the conservative's conservative. He's so conservative he doesn't even believe in homosexuality, stating its something liberals invented just to corrupt the youth and trick them into being liberals out of the perverted sense of social justice. Who needs justice when you can have Slick Rick?

Strengths: Opposes all things liberal: homosexualtiy, tolerance, free speech, gays, blacks, immigrants, Jews, human rights, democracy, elections, and oral contraceptives. Good looks will win the female vote, although as a die-hard conservative, he doesn't believe women should be allowed to vote, "we did just fine as a nation from 1776-1920, when women did not have voting rights".
Weakness: His name can be easily mistaken for Sanitarium, and does not inspire confidence in a "healthy" state of the union.

Herman "The Godfather of Pizza" Cain-leone

The token Uncle Tom. That gets him points right there. Plus, he's got principles. Kinda like anti-torture Mccain, except his principles conform with GOP principles unlike the former Arizona senator and 2008 presidential runner up. Despite being a victim of bigotry in Seperate-but-Equal America, Cain is not afraid of dishing it right back out to American muslims by making sure they pass extra tests before assuming any potential spots in his cabinet. Also, is it just me or does he look like Samuel L Jackson???

Strengths: He's black.
Weakness: He's black.

Tim "T-Paw" Pawlenty

His nickname exudes street cred. But its doubtful how much of the "urban" vote he's going to get, provided the hoodrats find any polls within 30 miles of their homes to begin with. Admittedly, I know very little about him, but I can guess these are his platforms:

Economy: Obama is f***ing up.
Foreign Policy: Is a "strong" supporter of Israel
Healthcare: Who needs it that doesn't already have it?
Gun laws: Why do we need restrictions on semi-automatics?
Gays: They are secretly trying to take over America...oh wait, that was the Muslims. Or was it only Gays who are Muslim???

Strengths: Believes Jesus is his Personal Lord and Savior and He personally endorsed Manifest Destiny and the PATRIOT Act.
Weaknesses: You won't vote for him for fear your wife might develop a crush on him and force you to sleep on the your couch.

Newt "Lewd" Gingrich

This guy should be a front runner. I think he ran for President once. He's been around the scene forever, and is a solid neo-con. He lectures us on family values AND still has time to cheat on his wife twice! Sounds like a republican to me. If Shakib al Hasan doesn't watch out, Gingrich will soon pass him on the list of world's best all-rounders.

Strengths: A bigot in the truest sense of the word. Has experience battling democrats, leftists, and the Beast from the Book of Revelation.
Weaknesses: Has cheated on his wife once more than the maximum allowed GOP limit of four infidelities per candidate per election.

Ron "I have No Chance" Paul

A bit heterodox for a modern day republican. Believes in an isolationist foreign policy (like thats gonna win votes). I kinda like the things he says, but sometimes it sounds like he's too senile to even run a nursing home's Bingo games.

Strenghts: Kind of a maverick.
Weaknesses: No one will actually vote for him.

Obama takes 2012. I honestly don't see any of these Republican candy-dates as legitimate threats. But who knows...

Rifat

June 19, 2011, 07:32 PM

it should be very very interesting to see how Obama does in 2012 and his presidential campaign..he can't play the "Hope card" forever, can he?

al Furqaan

June 21, 2011, 12:44 AM

Obama takes 2012. I honestly don't see any of these Republican candy-dates as legitimate threats. But who knows...

never underestimate the power of American stupidity, bigotry, or naivete.

Obama only won 40% of the white vote in 2008.

F6_Turbo

November 22, 2011, 09:19 AM

Herman Cain upon hearing his GP had the name Abdullah:
I said to his physician assistant, I said, 'That sounds foreign--not that I had anything against foreign doctors--but it sounded too foreign," Cain tells the audience. "She said, 'He's from Lebanon.' Oh, Lebanon! My mind immediately started thinking, wait a minute, maybe his religious persuasion is different than mine! She could see the look on my face and she said, 'Don't worry, Mr. Cain, he's a Christian from Lebanon.'"

Not the only one going after Muslims, but sad to see this no mark(and yes he is a no mark - ZERO chance of winning the nomination, despite what the Tea Party simpletons think) doing it too.

Too foreign
Thank God he was Christian

I'm not shocked by much anymore when it comes to US politics(which frankly atm is no better than Bangladeshi politics - Republicans refusing to sign things, even if it harms the country to ensure Obama fails) not too different from what the BNP and AL do in Bangladesh...but the continued vilifying of Muslims in such a casual manner is really depressing.

What do you think the reaction would have been, if he said the same about a Jewish doctor?

mufi_02

November 22, 2011, 09:38 AM

I hate this stupid Cain guy. Few months back he blatantly said that he won't hire any Muslims in his administration. He has 4-5 women accusing him of sexual misbehavior and now all he cares about is that guys' "religious persuasion"

Lately I think the US politics has became more pathetic than BD politics. In NY Times poll today, 84% of Americans don't trust in Congress. That number is more than Nixon's disapproval rating during the Watergate Scandal.

F6_Turbo

November 22, 2011, 10:04 AM

He makes Sarah Palin look like an intellectual, his foreign policy statements, Good God what an idiot. I don't even want to get into his 999 BS, or his stance on abortion.

Bangladesh has no leaders, look at what the US is offering up, Bangladeshi politicians have sold their souls, Big Business OWNS WASHINGTON.

mufi_02

November 22, 2011, 10:17 AM

I lost my faith in US Politics. It is the lobbyists in Washington that controls the country.

NoName

November 22, 2011, 05:28 PM

What can you expect from these guys who name their movement 'Tea Party', its exactly what they'll be doing once they're in the office.

Equinox

November 22, 2011, 06:00 PM

Herman Cain being considered for Presidency is parrallel to if Nick Griffin was a serious contender for becoming the Prime Minister of the UK. Both make similar statements but deny being racists. Actually no it wouldn't be similar Griffin is better educated, is not a sex offender and I'm pretty sure he knows where Libya is.

NoName

November 22, 2011, 10:01 PM

Hope Canada, we'll probably have open arms anyways, and the rest of the world braces themselves if any of them comes into power.

Zeeshan

November 22, 2011, 11:11 PM

Can care less abt the stupid election.

All I know is one of the Huntsman daughter is smokingly republican hot.

"I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people who are in fact Arabs, and who were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places, and for a variety of political reasons we have sustained this war against Israel now since the 1940s, and it's tragic."

So Palestinians are made up, and they should have left their ancestral homes, because Jews wanted to live there....

NoName

December 10, 2011, 11:32 AM

^ You should know its one of their biggest arguments
"There was no such thing as Palestine or Palestinians before '47'

F6_Turbo

December 10, 2011, 12:07 PM

The bit that really bothered me wasn't the technicality of the British Mandate, but that the residents should have simply gone away..how ****ing arrogant is that? I know he's trying to suck up to the Jewish lobby, but half of Israel wants a Palestinian state, and here we have a potential US President saying these people should simply disappear.

NoName

December 10, 2011, 09:55 PM

Newt is taking advantage of Obama's skewed relation with Israel (which was all a show as he vetoed the Palestinian bid), which also happens to affect the Jewish population in the US, since Democrats have always enjoyed having dominance over the Jewish vote. Now we have Obama having tense relations with Bibi/Israel, which now has kind of alienated the Jews and their view on Obama, Newt is simply acting as a new 'hero' for these Jews with his retarded statements.

Ajfar

December 11, 2011, 12:28 PM

Ron Paul. He's getting my vote weather he runs or not.

This is a old clip from from the Daily Show, I think back in September. See how hard the media is trying to keep Ron Paul out of sight

Newt is taking advantage of Obama's skewed relation with Israel (which was all a show as he vetoed the Palestinian bid), which also happens to affect the Jewish population in the US, since Democrats have always enjoyed having dominance over the Jewish vote. Now we have Obama having tense relations with Bibi/Israel, which now has kind of alienated the Jews and their view on Obama, Newt is simply acting as a new 'hero' for these Jews with his retarded statements.

Much ado about nothing. Most Jews are too sensible to fall for this ploy. No republican has ever gotten anything close to even half the jewish vote in any election. Newt won't make it either. Yes, right wing Jews and Zionists (who are often not even religious Jews) make the headlines. Daniel Pipes, AIPAC, ADL, etc. But majority of American Jews are center or center left leaning. They know that these same republican racists who are pro Israel are only doing that because their belief is that they will all be converted when Christ Returns. Thats not real love.

Most American Jews are people just like anyone else with real world concerns be it money, healthcare, economy, rising cost of living.

It is conservatives of all stripes who are the real danger to humanity.

rashed

January 8, 2012, 05:46 PM

Lets discuss who we should vote for.
I say Ron Paul for president eventhough he is a republican. Done with Obama.

All of the rep. candidates seem to be from Scooby Doo. These cartoons are gonna be better than Obama? Give me a break.

rashed

January 8, 2012, 06:53 PM

All of the rep. candidates seem to be from Scooby Doo. These cartoons are gonna be better than Obama? Give me a break.

Anyone will be better than Obama. This guy is the biggest war monger in history. You realize Obama is sending troops to Israel now for millitary "excercise"??

shaad

January 8, 2012, 07:00 PM

While I like Ron Paul's isolationist views, let's be realistic here. AIPAC and Congress won't allow US foreign policy to change that dramatically.

On the other hand, Republicans would certainly go along with him in effectively destroying health care for the poor and needy (see the analysis of Ron Paul's Health Care policy by Mother Jones here (http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/09/ron-pauls-health-solutions-fail)). In a period where US citizens are too frequently falling out of the middle class because of medical costs and bankruptcies associated with unemployment, I find that a more important reason not to vote for Ron Paul.

Zunaid

January 8, 2012, 07:00 PM

Anyone will be better than Obama. This guy is the biggest war monger in history. You realize Obama is sending troops to Israel now for millitary "excercise"??

This happens every year under every administration for decades. What do you think he is proposing? Is a Levant invasion in the works?

More seriously, why would anyone be better than Obama?

Put your money where your mouth is, and logically compare, say

Gingrich or Bachman or Santorum vs Obama
And, your Ron Paul vs Obama

Why would Santorum be better than Obama? Why would Ron Paul?

Dilscoop

January 8, 2012, 07:11 PM

Rick Perry's ad anyone? Looks like a clip right out of a Michael Bay movie.

bujhee kom

January 8, 2012, 07:17 PM

The mass majority of Americans, the common poor everyday suffering public of America, in the cities and in the country, the majority, although a lot of them will go vote Rebuplican like they always do, are suffering day in day out. There is no job, we are in depression and the society, spirit of the people is already completely degenerating into an over-filled plastic Trash Can everyday, a Republican will only make this suffering much much Worse and will send this already weaker country into further economical destruction, further world isolation like Bushs era and an overall fatigue of mental-physical plague! There is no other choice for the Americans today but to stick to the President Obama even more than ever before otherwise we will sink this ship down, it's already leaking water everywhere...we need to resurge with more Public work, nationwide environmantal repair program and employ the mas general unemployed public and revive not just this constant "Economy, economy, spending, spending, ohh I am brake again bullcrap" but also the spirit of this Greater/larger Amreican people east to west and reunite that American constructive, battling emotions and only this man Obama can do/deliver that for Amreica/. Bhais everything takes time, the Bush administration left a destroyed mountain of trash for this administration to clean up, cleaning up is still going full force...and we haven't even touched the toxic landfills, the deserts (spell/morubhumi) or the coastline and rivers yet!!!

Dilscoop

January 8, 2012, 07:23 PM

I didn't care about this until I realized, this would be my first chance to vote! I better start caring. Missed the last one by few weeks!

Dilscoop

January 8, 2012, 07:42 PM

Can care less abt the stupid election.

All I know is one of the Huntsman daughter is smokingly republican hot.

Lets discuss who we should vote for.
I say Ron Paul for president eventhough he is a republican. Done with Obama.

Yeah because you want the most powerful man in the world to be insane. If it has to be a republican, Romney is palatable.

He won't mess about too much with the social issues, he'll obviously cut taxes(but what republican wouldn't these days...) and will appoint conservative judges, but the rest of the stuff, he'll stay the course.

Nothing too dramatic.

shaad

January 13, 2012, 09:31 AM

Rashed,

You still have to answer the questions that Zunaid posed: why do you think Ron Paul is better than Obama?

If you watch the videos you will know why Ron Paul is better than Obama. And what has Obama done in his 4 year term for us to relect him? Exactly he didnt do ****, and dont worry Obama wont win again so there is no point discussing whos better than who.

Zeeshan

January 13, 2012, 09:49 PM

If you watch the videos you will know why Ron Paul is better than Obama. And what has Obama done in his 4 year term for us to relect him? Exactly he didnt do ****, and dont worry Obama wont win again so there is no point discussing whos better than who.

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lknnfw4VAi1qj5x6fo1_500.jpg

Jadukor

January 13, 2012, 10:29 PM

the republican's have as difficult a task picking their candidate as our selectors picking no. 3 batsman

F6_Turbo

January 19, 2012, 02:56 PM

Sh1t day for Newt. First his ex wife gives an interview saying he wanted an open marriage, then Rick Perry drops out and endorses him.

:lol:

Zunaid

January 19, 2012, 06:59 PM

Sh1t day for Newt. First his ex wife gives an interview saying he wanted an open marriage, then Rick Perry drops out and endorses him.

:lol:

Good one.

Rick Perry was a made-for-TV comedy. The grizzled and handsome Texan waited in the hills and then rode down into the fray on his steed. Yes, the savior for the oppressed by Obama, a true Texan, the master-brewer for the Tea Party, the man who put neo into neo conservatism, the deliverer who came to take what is rightfully his from a slate of caricature candidates.

* cue heavenly music *

Then he opens his mouth.

* cue stuck record player music *

F6_Turbo

January 21, 2012, 01:23 AM

^ :)

So the republican base really is struggling to fall in love with MRom(sounds like Enron) - the Obama people should use this in the general elections...it'll bring back all sorts of negative connotations, and remind people of failures.

But getting back to my point, Iowa has now reversed the results, and given the state to Santorum(delegates will be shared proportionally), and his lead in South Carolina is dwindling very quickly. While I didn't think MRom would get 50% at the primary there, ppl in the south - Yikes!, I certainly didn't he'd be bleeding support in this manner.

F6_Turbo

January 22, 2012, 12:36 AM

Well...that dwindling lead became a 12 point deficit.

Gingrich wins South Carolina with 40% of the vote, while Romney receives only 28%. Gingrich needs Santorum to quit...that would make life hell for MRom.

shaad

January 22, 2012, 08:32 AM

In this context, Juan Cole raises a rather interesting point (http://www.juancole.com/2012/01/south-carolina-gingrich-egypt-the-muslim-brotherhood.html) about how US media reports American election/primary results as opposed to results in other countries (e.g. Egypt). Cole's essay, South Carolina & Gingrich, Egypt & the Muslim Brotherhood (http://www.juancole.com/2012/01/south-carolina-gingrich-egypt-the-muslim-brotherhood.html) provides yet another interesting insight into how American perspectives of exceptionalism are constructed and reinforced. It's brief, and well worth a quick read.

al Furqaan

January 22, 2012, 12:09 PM

Gingrich tried to blame CNN and the [liberal] media for making up the claim that his wife said he wanted an open marriage. Its possibly true, but then again, Gingrich isn't exactly the poster boy for monogamy.

shaad

January 22, 2012, 12:52 PM

alF,

Unfortunately, there is this obsession both among the public and the media for glimpses into the candidates' private lives. Personally, I feel (and yes, I know, most of the populace doesn't agree with me) that a candidate should be judged on the merits of his/her policies and his record in either the legislature or governance, not on his/her boudoir peccadilloes. Several notable US presidents would never have been elected if they had been subjected to similar scrutiny.

Note that I am just making an observation. This should by no means be construed as an endorsement for Gingrich.

Rifat

January 22, 2012, 07:31 PM

alF,

Unfortunately, there is this obsession both among the public and the media for glimpses into the candidates' private lives. Personally, I feel (and yes, I know, most of the populace doesn't agree with me) that a candidate should be judged on the merits of his/her policies and his record in either the legislature or governance, not on his/her boudoir peccadilloes. Several notable US presidents would never have been elected if they had been subjected to similar scrutiny.

Note that I am just making an observation. This should by no means be construed as an endorsement for Gingrich.

agree wholeheartedly. Prime Example: Bill Clinton.

FagunerAgun

January 22, 2012, 09:25 PM

Re-election of another slave of tea party.

F6_Turbo

January 23, 2012, 12:08 AM

Newt has no right to get on a highhorse with regards to the media, politics and his private life...not after a Newt led Congress tried to impeach the president for getting his freak on(Bill - the real 1st Black president).

Sometimes when they talk about Quran they sounds like they are some kind of Republican Hafiz who knows it inside out.

Zunaid

January 26, 2012, 06:08 AM

Pat Robertson is our Golam Azam. Our cross to bear (pun intended).

al Furqaan

January 26, 2012, 07:22 PM

alF,

Unfortunately, there is this obsession both among the public and the media for glimpses into the candidates' private lives. Personally, I feel (and yes, I know, most of the populace doesn't agree with me) that a candidate should be judged on the merits of his/her policies and his record in either the legislature or governance, not on his/her boudoir peccadilloes. Several notable US presidents would never have been elected if they had been subjected to similar scrutiny.

Note that I am just making an observation. This should by no means be construed as an endorsement for Gingrich.

Personally, I disagree with Gingrich's morals. Sure, people make mistakes, and adultery is a mistake. Granted a rather hard one to make, provided one didn't just trip and fall and find his phallus embedded inside a stranger's vageegy (is that a proper medical term?). Well, when Eminem said it, it was funnier.

But for the American population to bitch about a candidate's sexual morals being the reason for him being unfit for office is like a chor or dakait complaining about the lack of honest politicians in Bangladesh.

There are many reasons why Gingrich should be committed to a psych ward, or at the very list thrown in the dust bin of racists and bigots, but his marital infidelities are the last reason to bar him from public office.

Now if this was a Christian (or Islamic) state, one would have a logical reason for wanting to keep the likes of Gingrich, Edwards, and Clinton away from the White House.

Zunaid

January 26, 2012, 07:28 PM

I'm not sure the American population is bitching as much as the press or the other candidates are. The American public is more forgiving these days. The irony or hypocrisy of Gingrich's rant is that he led the impeachment wolf-pack going after Clinton's hide.

Out of all the republican contenders, I think Ron Paul stands out as normal.

But at times I find him too naive. On one hand you got these over-paranoid islamophobes hell-bent of wiping Islam off the map then you got this laid back guy (RP) who has a total "hands-off" approach in foreign politics.

Take the video with Giuliani for example where he goes "Why are we supporting their dictators".

When a dictator runs a country you don't have a choice but to deal with him. He is the head of state whether you like it or not. If there is no opposition from within the country you can't just say "I wont deal with you because you are a dictator".

Pre-January 2011, there was no opposition to Hosni Mubarak. As soon as Arab Spring started, there was an alternative to Mubarak and US quickly acknowledged and told him to step down. So I don't see what Ron Paul was complaining about really.

The same applies to Libya and now Syria.

iDumb

January 26, 2012, 10:11 PM

i support higher tax. there should be a flat tax of 40 percent on everyone.

shaad

January 26, 2012, 10:56 PM

I'm not sure the American population is bitching as much as the press or the other candidates are. The American public is more forgiving these days. The irony or hypocrisy of Gingrich's rant is that he led the impeachment wolf-pack going after Clinton's hide.

No real disagreement there. Frankly, both you and I know that if the press reported matters factually and accurately (i.e. did not feel a need to "balance" perspectives from one side with claims from the other, regardless of how ridiculous one of these views might be), there really wouldn't be much of contest when it came to elections or primaries. But creating a situation where it's a close race keeps the public in suspense and ends up being more profitable for the media.

al Furqaan

January 26, 2012, 11:22 PM

I'm not sure the American population is bitching as much as the press or the other candidates are. The American public is more forgiving these days. The irony or hypocrisy of Gingrich's rant is that he led the impeachment wolf-pack going after Clinton's hide.

Well I think it resonates a lot with the "family values" brigade, at least down here in the South. Ironically, I agree with most of what these "value voters" say from a social standpoint. Although I'm not the homophobe I used to be in my younger and pre Neuroscience days, but I'm just as staunchly against abortion.

shaad

January 27, 2012, 01:50 AM

Well I think it resonates a lot with the "family values" brigade, at least down here in the South. Ironically, I agree with most of what these "value voters" say from a social standpoint. Although I'm not the homophobe I used to be in my younger and pre Neuroscience days, but I'm just as staunchly against abortion.

Just curious, alF, how do you feel about contraception?

Oddly enough, it's the so called "Red States" e.g. several in the South, with this emphasis on "family values" which have higher rates of teen pregnancies and divorces compared to the "Blue States".

A rather cogent analysis of this phenomenon is presented in the book Red Families v. Blue Families: Legal Polarization and the Creation of Culture (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Families-v-Blue-Polarization/dp/0199836817/) by Naomi Cahn and June Carbone. Backed up by rather convincing data, the authors argue that we now live in a post-industrial period, where blue collar work makes it difficult to remain in the middle class. People who constitute the "Blue Families" tend to cohabit but marry later in life (late 20s and 30s), thus being able to complete their education (thereby being more successful), making more rational and mature decisions about who they marry, and marrying individuals who are similarly "successful". In contrast, by insisting unrealistically on chastity before marriage, the "family values brigade"/"Red Families" effectively ensure that their children get pregnant earlier, leading to teen childbirth and shotgun marriages. Needless to say, these marriages are frequently not successful, resulting in the higher divorce rates. Note also the toll that such pregnancies and early marriages have on individuals' chances of completing their education, and thereby having a "successful" career.

Now, it is the availability of contraceptive measures, and in the rare instances when they fail, abortion, that allows members of the "Blue Families" to delay marriage until they are actually "ready" -- hence my question to you, alF: how do you feel about contraception?

HereWeGo

January 27, 2012, 10:16 AM

Why would your wife make a great first Lady? WTeff CNN. Confirms my belief this whole thing is a beauty pageant. No issues dealt with but lots of big words used.
CNN is just another garbage media like Fox....

Who needs Jon Stewart, Colbert or the SNL for a laugh!!

mufi_02

January 27, 2012, 10:25 AM

01/26/12 Florida Debate transcripts from Time. This part is great.

98 minutes. A self-described Palestinian in the audience, as part of a question about Middle East Peace, says, “I’m here to tell you we do exist.” Romney responds by saying, “It’s the Palestinians who don’t want a two-state solution.” This is not true. The Palestinians have gone to the United Nations demanding just such a thing, though they differ with Israel about borders and conditions. Gingrich repeats his previous claim about Palestinian invention. “It was technically an invention of the late 1970s, and it was clearly so. Prior to that, they were Arabs. Many of them were either Syrian, Lebanese, or Egyptian, or Jordanian,” he says. By that standard, Americans are an invented people too. But no one points this out.

"Republicans have led the effort to privatize profits and socialize losses....time middle america got a fair deal"

I'm F6_Turbo and I approve of this message.

Nasif

January 29, 2012, 05:16 PM

Had a lol moment!

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/8/2012/01/d672126d2bb4191fdc6a324629a299a9.jpg
Why does Newt Gingrich want to build a moon base? Because he’s an alien, of course

Newt Gingrich may have surprised a lot of folks with his announcement that he wants to put a permanent base on the moon. But maybe they shouldn't have been surprised. After all, the original Men in Black film revealed to the world that Gingrich is actually an extraterrestrial.
Thanks to eagle-eyed readers Jared and Tim for spotting Gingrich's mug in the MIB's alien monitoring screen. So what plans does alien Gingrich have his lunar base? Is it a way to get around the MIB's pesky customs agents? Or will it be a launching point for Gingrich to return to his home planet?
I suppose there's no use asking for his long-form birth certificate, though. I imagine MIB has a crack forgery division.
Image from Jared D. Weiss (http://jdweiss.tumblr.com/post/16689322830/this-map-shows-the-location-of-every-registered).

Four more years InshAllah but it will be tough with Mitt. I hope the Tea Party-ers will have their own lunatic fringe candidate and divide the conservative and and undecided votes and the President will squeak through in the process.

BANFAN

April 27, 2012, 04:55 PM

So, does Mitt Romney has even an outside chance to beat Obama? I don't see that.

Those who are frustrated with Obama for not meeting their expectations, I think they will see a different Obama in his second term. Many of their expectations from the first Black American President will be fulfilled. It wasn't easy for him to complete his first term without any major failure. He worked under a lot of undue pressure, resistance, non cooperations and Israeli bullies. He handled everything quiet maturely.

He will be what he was during his last campaign, if he is elected this time and will have the freedom and strength to fulfill most of his unfulfilled promises. I commend him for stabilizing the economy even if not recovered from recession completely, being able to resist provocations-pressures for going into another war, controlled the wild horse Netaniyahu well except his mouth, recovered a lot of Brocken relations internationally, withdrawn from Iraq, on course to withdraw from Afghanistan....

Not sure about his success in domestic affairs... But the question of Black Americans inequality was too sensitive to pick up, that surely will be addressed in the second term.

Nasif

July 3, 2012, 01:56 PM

Investigation into Romney Money

Quoted first two paragraphs, Read Full Article here (http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/08/investigating-mitt-romney-offshore-accounts).

Where the Money Lives

For all Mitt Romney’s touting of his business record, when it comes to his own money the Republican nominee is remarkably shy about disclosing numbers and investments. Nicholas Shaxson delves into the murky world of offshore finance, revealing loopholes that allow the very wealthy to skirt tax laws, and investigating just how much of Romney’s fortune (with $30 million in Bain Capital funds in the Cayman Islands alone?) looks pretty strange for a presidential candidate.
<label>By</label> Nicholas Shaxson (http://www.vanityfair.com/contributors/nicholas-shaxson)

“It was a strange atmosphere. It did leave a bad taste in your mouth,” the former employee recalls.

This unsettling account suggests the young Romney—at that point only two years out of Harvard Business School—was willing to push into gray areas when it came to business. More than three dec­ades later, as he tried to nail down the Republican nomination for president of the United States, Romney’s gray areas were again an issue when he repeatedly resisted calls to release more details of his net worth, his tax returns, and the large investments and assets held by him and his wife, Ann. Finally the other Republican candidates forced him to do so, but only highly selective disclosures were forthcoming.

Sohel

July 3, 2012, 02:14 PM

Not voting this year. No longer a citizen but will work for the President through Democrats Abroad.

F6_Turbo

July 3, 2012, 02:24 PM

Crazy money being spent on trying to ensure Obama is a one term prez.

-Will Europe hold on till November?
-Will Israel hold off on Iran?
-Interest rates, stock market and employment figures?
-How much will 'Obamacare is a tax' matter?
-Can Obama energize the Democratic base, and the youth(again)?

This is a crucial election in the long term...he might in his 4 years get to appoint at least 1 more Supreme Court Justice, a non conservative could hold sway for years, and end up being the true lasting legacy of the Obama years.

F6_Turbo

August 11, 2012, 10:41 AM

MRom has picked Paul Ryan as his VP - good choice for the Tea Party extremists...not too sure how good it is a pick as far as independents are concerned.

Ryan is all about the budget - but his utterances with regards to Social Security and Medicare, ought to drive away elderly voters(specially is a key state like Florida - full of retired folk).

I happen to think Paul Ryan is a disgusting human being(just a notch better than Romney, because he at least has some principles), but hopefully this Ayn Rand lover is the final nail in the coffin for Romney.

Also anyone else laugh at Romney asking for Obama to not get into personal attacks, and stick to the issues(personal attacks in this case = Romney and his record as a businessman, and his tax returns, or lack thereof). This is of course, after Romney made his success as a businessman one of his main sales pitches :lol:

ammark

August 11, 2012, 11:16 AM

It'll be a nightmare if Romney+Ryan does edge out Obama, and a Republican House is there for the first 2 years.

As it is, the House Republicans are pretty concerted to oppose almost anything good coming from the White House and the Dems.

What a morass :(

Rubu

August 11, 2012, 09:21 PM

If America votes in Romney-Ryan, America deserve Romney-Ryan. The only problem is, the sane people will also have to suffer with them.

Zunaid

August 11, 2012, 09:23 PM

The Ryan pick gives Obama and team more fodder to attack. I'm glad Romney did not move to the center.

Alien

August 12, 2012, 11:14 AM

So, does Mitt Romney has even an outside chance to beat Obama? I don't see that.

Those who are frustrated with Obama for not meeting their expectations, I think they will see a different Obama in his second term. Many of their expectations from the first Black American President will be fulfilled. It wasn't easy for him to complete his first term without any major failure. He worked under a lot of undue pressure, resistance, non cooperations and Israeli bullies. He handled everything quiet maturely.

He will be what he was during his last campaign, if he is elected this time and will have the freedom and strength to fulfill most of his unfulfilled promises. I commend him for stabilizing the economy even if not recovered from recession completely, being able to resist provocations-pressures for going into another war, controlled the wild horse Netaniyahu well except his mouth, recovered a lot of Brocken relations internationally, withdrawn from Iraq, on course to withdraw from Afghanistan....

Not sure about his success in domestic affairs... But the question of Black Americans inequality was too sensitive to pick up, that surely will be addressed in the second term.

Agree. It's never easy on first term. In 2nd term he will have more flexibility as he won't have to worry about re-election.

F6_Turbo

August 14, 2012, 12:51 AM

Agree. It's never easy on first term. In 2nd term he will have more flexibility as he won't have to worry about re-election.

Alternatively he could become a lame duck president in his 2nd term...with democrats worried about re-election not going along with what he wants, or even worse a republican dominated house and senate...resulting in Obama doing nothing but vetoing bills once a month for 4 years.

Sure there is a certain level of freedom that comes from a 2nd term but that only happens if the conditions are right.

Dilscoop

August 31, 2012, 06:02 PM

Clint Eastwood for president

Ajfar

August 31, 2012, 06:09 PM

So anyone jumping on the whole, 'We build it' campaign?

Roey Haque

August 31, 2012, 08:08 PM

So anyone jumping on the whole, 'We build it' campaign?

Nope. Republicans provide endless material for laughter, and Jon Stewart and Bill Maher does a very good job making me laugh.

Keep it 100,

Roey

Navo

August 31, 2012, 10:43 PM

Crazy money being spent on trying to ensure Obama is a one term prez.

-Will Europe hold on till November?
-Will Israel hold off on Iran?
-Interest rates, stock market and employment figures?
-How much will 'Obamacare is a tax' matter?
-Can Obama energize the Democratic base, and the youth(again)?

This is a crucial election in the long term...he might in his 4 years get to appoint at least 1 more Supreme Court Justice, a non conservative could hold sway for years, and end up being the true lasting legacy of the Obama years.

This is an excellent post asking very pertinent questions re: the elections. I particularly like the point regarding the balance of the Supreme Court.

For those who are curious about F6 meant by this, the US Supreme Court currently has 4 Justices who are perceived to be Conservatives, 4 who are considered to be more liberal and 1 who provides the 'swing vote' by voting either way. The conservative 4 are Scalia, Thomas, Alito, Roberts, the liberal 4 are Sotomayor, Kagan, Breyer, Ginsberg and the swing vote is Anthony Kennedy. He's voted conservative 11 times and liberal 5 times. (Even though it's simplistic to say that these 9 always vote according to perceived political biases!)

You talking about Ricky Booby? Him busy doin' his own campaigning against that Zack Gala-freakin-dunno-how-pronounce-us in something they call "The Campaign" ;-)

F6_Turbo

September 6, 2012, 12:22 AM

What an endorsement by B(the original black prez)...absolute tore into the Republicans and called them out for what they are...scum.

some choice tidbits:

The Republican narrative is that all of us who amount to anything are completely self-made. One of our greatest Democratic Chairmen, Bob Strauss, used to say that every politician wants you to believe he was born in a log cabin he built himself, but it ain't so.

We Democrats think the country works better with a strong middle class, real opportunities for poor people to work their way into it and a relentless focus on the future, with business and government working together to promote growth and broadly shared prosperity. We think "we're all in this together" is a better philosophy than "you're on your own."

Who's right? Well since 1961, the Republicans have held the White House 28 years, the Democrats 24. In those 52 years, our economy produced 66 million private sector jobs. What's the jobs score? Republicans 24 million, Democrats 42 million!

In Tampa, the Republican argument against the President's re-election was pretty simple: we left him a total mess, he hasn't cleaned it up fast enough, so fire him and put us back in.

Are we where we want to be? No. Is the President satisfied? No. Are we better off than we were when he took office, with an economy in free fall, losing 750,000 jobs a month. The answer is YES.

The Recovery Act saved and created millions of jobs and cut taxes for 95% of the American people. In the last 29 months the economy has produced about 4.5 million private sector jobs. But last year, the Republicans blocked the President's jobs plan costing the economy more than a million new jobs. So here's another jobs score: President Obama plus 4.5 million, Congressional Republicans zero.

Over that same period, more than more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs have been created under President Obama – the first time manufacturing jobs have increased since the 1990s.

Now there are 250,000 more people working in the auto industry than the day the companies were restructured. Governor Romney opposed the plan to save GM and Chrysler. So here's another jobs score: Obama two hundred and fifty thousand, Romney, zero.

When Congressman Ryan looked into the TV camera and attacked President Obama's "biggest coldest power play" in raiding Medicare, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You see, that 716 billion dollars is exactly the same amount of Medicare savings Congressman Ryan had in his own budget.

I think the President's plan is better than the Romney plan, because the Romney plan fails the first test of fiscal responsibility: The numbers don't add up.

It's supposed to be a debt reduction plan but it begins with five trillion dollars in tax cuts over a ten-year period. That makes the debt hole bigger before they even start to dig out. They say they'll make it up by eliminating loopholes in the tax code. When you ask "which loopholes and how much?," they say "See me after the election on that."

People ask me all the time how we delivered four surplus budgets. What new ideas did we bring? I always give a one-word answer: arithmetic. If they stay with a 5 trillion dollar tax cut in a debt reduction plan – the – arithmetic tells us that one of three things will happen:

1) they'll have to eliminate so many deductions like the ones for home mortgages and charitable giving that middle class families will see their tax bill go up two thousand dollars year while people making over 3 million dollars a year get will still get a 250,000 dollar tax cut; or

2) they'll have to cut so much spending that they'll obliterate the budget for our national parks, for ensuring clean air, clean water, safe food, safe air travel; or they'll cut way back on Pell Grants, college loans, early childhood education and other programs that help middle class families and poor children, not to mention cutting investments in roads, bridges, science, technology and medical research; or

3) they'll do what they've been doing for thirty plus years now – cut taxes more than they cut spending, explode the debt, and weaken the economy. Remember, Republican economic policies quadrupled the debt before I took office and doubled it after I left. We simply can't afford to double-down on trickle-down.

My fellow Americans, you have to decide what kind of country you want to live in.

If you want a you're on your own, winner take all society you should support the Republican ticket. If you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibilities – a "we're all in it together" society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

If you want every American to vote and you think its wrong to change voting procedures just to reduce the turnout of younger, poorer, minority and disabled voters, you should support Barack Obama. If you think the President was right to open the doors of American opportunity to young immigrants brought here as children who want to go to college or serve in the military, you should vote for Barack Obama.

If you want a future of shared prosperity, where the middle class is growing and poverty is declining, where the American Dream is alive and well, and where the United States remains the leading force for peace and prosperity in a highly competitive world, you should vote for Barack Obama.

Those job creation numbers by dems vs republicans have been fact checked and are correct!

I watched RNC and day 1 of DNC. While RNC was full of white folks, DNC was very much diverse. Loved Julian Castro and Michelle Obama's speech.

Looking forward to the big Obama speech tonight.

F6_Turbo

September 9, 2012, 02:46 AM

Pretty disheartening jobs report - that will put a damper on any potential bounce from the convention for Obama.

But as long as he hangs on to Michigan and Ohio, Romney has almost no chance.

BrianLara7

September 9, 2012, 06:39 PM

Pretty disheartening jobs report - that will put a damper on any potential bounce from the convention for Obama.

But as long as he hangs on to Michigan and Ohio, Romney has almost no chance.

You know what's pathetic? The republicans were praying for a poor jobs report.. even if it's affecting lives of their fellow countrymen as long as they have something to benefit from it, their mentality is no different from the village politics of BD where politicians actually thrive in creating problems just so they can benefit from it.. I guess nobody bothered to tell these right wing nut jobs who created this job mess in the first place.

BrianLara7

September 9, 2012, 06:43 PM

Bill Clinton delivered what was probably the best Political speech I have heard in a long time, no BS..feel sorry for the fools who would rather listen to the rubbish spewed out by Clint Eastwood and Paul ryan

Nasif

September 9, 2012, 06:52 PM

Got my cup. Plan to use it in office.

Get yours at BarackObama (https://store.barackobama.com/obama-2012-store-essentials.html) (looks like this coffee mug is not in stock).

400 400

iDumb

September 9, 2012, 08:49 PM

Bill Clinton delivered what was probably the best Political speech I have heard in a long time, no BS..feel sorry for the fools who would rather listen to the rubbish spewed out by Clint Eastwood and Paul ryan

Man I can't never change my channel when clinton speaks....He is by far I think one of the, if not the best president US ever had. This speech is not any different from his many other speeches... it just feels so good because we been hearing sub par speeches from current leaders... that includes Obama as well, even though Obama is known for his oration skills...

I don't think any one can connect with people of alll walks like the way Clinton does....He sounds so genuine. I sometimes feels sad that we could have had this man for past 12 years.... but constitution I suppose protect us from bad *** well just like it denies us good sometimes.

How did clinton not get the nobel peace prize but obama got, i didn't quiet get.

Lemme tell u man, you put obama and clinton run against each other, and have black ppl vote for who can connect with them more.. I bet Bill Clinton will come out top.

iDumb

September 9, 2012, 08:50 PM

i think you can obviously tell I have man love for Clinton, similar to Nasif bhai love for Obama... :

Nasif

September 9, 2012, 08:59 PM

i think you can obviously tell I have man love for Clinton, similar to Nasif bhai love for Obama... :

I like Clinton too. His speech at DNC was just too good! Right stuff at right time. Always has my vote.

BrianLara7

September 9, 2012, 09:25 PM

Man I can't never change my channel when clinton speaks....He is by far I think one of the, if not the best president US ever had. This speech is not any different from his many other speeches... it just feels so good because we been hearing sub par speeches from current leaders... that includes Obama as well, even though Obama is known for his oration skills...

I don't think any one can connect with people of alll walks like the way Clinton does....He sounds so genuine. I sometimes feels sad that we could have had this man for past 12 years.... but constitution I suppose protect us from bad *** well just like it denies us good sometimes.

How did clinton not get the nobel peace prize but obama got, i didn't quiet get.

Lemme tell u man, you put obama and clinton run against each other, and have black ppl vote for who can connect with them more.. I bet Bill Clinton will come out top.

Spot on, Bill Clinton's speech presented Obama as the next President better than Obama himself could.

Zunaid

September 9, 2012, 09:28 PM

i think you can obviously tell I have man love for Clinton, similar to Nasif bhai love for Obama... :

I am not ashamed to agree with Orphy here. One of the smartest men to ever be the President of the US. He was a true liberal and drove his agenda as much as he could navigating the political exigencies of his times. He learned very quickly after his healthcare initiative floundered on the rapids of partisanship but he wisely shifted slightly to the center while still not sacrificing his ideals.

And as they say, he (not Obama) was the first Black president.

I was reading somewhere about his charisma and his oratorial ability. Someone commented that Bill speaks to your left and right brain at the same time. While he is spouting stats and numbers on one hand, he is speaking to your emotions on the other. He is a wonk with a common touch.

His one speech at the DNC eviscerated each and every false claim of the Reps more than any statement or ad from the Obama camp.

BrianLara7

September 9, 2012, 10:49 PM

I am not ashamed to agree with Orphy here. One of the smartest men to ever be the President of the US. He was a true liberal and drove his agenda as much as he could navigating the political exigencies of his times. He learned very quickly after his healthcare initiative floundered on the rapids of partisanship but he wisely shifted slightly to the center while still not sacrificing his ideals.

And as they say, he (not Obama) was the first Black president.

I was reading somewhere about his charisma and his oratorial ability. Someone commented that Bill speaks to your left and right brain at the same time. While he is spouting stats and numbers on one hand, he is speaking to your emotions on the other. He is a wonk with a common touch.

His one speech at the DNC eviscerated each and every false claim of the Reps more than any statement or ad from the Obama camp.
:clap: Nailed it. That DNC speech was just amazing when you take everything into consideration.

Navo

September 9, 2012, 10:55 PM

The reason why Bill Clinton didn't get a Nobel Peace Prize is because he is now a global statesman on such a level, that he doesn't require such an award to be widely recognized, respected, influential etc.

People get Nobel Peace Prizes on HIS recommendation. He's above the fray.

The Nobel Committee once even mentioned him by name when Dr. Yunus got the Prize in 2006:

"In 2002, Bill Clinton put it this way: "Dr. Yunus is a man who long ago should have won the Nobel Prize and I'll keep saying that until they finally give it to him." Now Clinton will no longer need to remind us. " (Source (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2006/presentation-speech.html))

AsifTheManRahman

September 9, 2012, 11:51 PM

The DNC speech came too naturally. Compare that to the obvious political drama scripted by Michelle a night before and you know why one was, as Orphy put it, one of the best Presidents of the USA, whereas the other is and will always be just another First Lady.

kalpurush

September 10, 2012, 12:20 AM

I am not ashamed to agree with Orphy here. One of the smartest men to ever be the President of the US. He was a true liberal and drove his agenda as much as he could navigating the political exigencies of his times. He learned very quickly after his healthcare initiative floundered on the rapids of partisanship but he wisely shifted slightly to the center while still not sacrificing his ideals.

And as they say, he (not Obama) was the first Black president.

I was reading somewhere about his charisma and his oratorial ability. Someone commented that Bill speaks to your left and right brain at the same time. While he is spouting stats and numbers on one hand, he is speaking to your emotions on the other. He is a wonk with a common touch.

His one speech at the DNC eviscerated each and every false claim of the Reps more than any statement or ad from the Obama camp.
Another fan here...

Clinton is called first black president of USA per Times - he did so much for the American black community, all the previous presidents altogether couldn't do it!

F6_Turbo

September 10, 2012, 02:04 AM

I'm traditionally a democrat, but I so wish Dr. Paul would get elected. I expected so much more from Obama. He has become the "food-stamp" president.

Peace out,

Roey

Food-stamp president eh...how quaint.

Because after all it was his fault the entire western world was in recession(bar maybe Australia and a couple of other places). It was his fault, the housing bubble burst and banks went under, again before he took office.

He was the one that ran up the debt to record levels in the previous 8 years, by engaging in war mongering....

Does he deserve criticism, absolutely...I think he's shown very little backbone as president, but catch phrases like 'Food Stamp President' are downright stupid.

Zunaid

September 10, 2012, 02:14 AM

Food-stamp president eh...how quaint.

Because after all it was his fault the entire western world was in recession(bar maybe Australia and a couple of other places). It was his fault, the housing bubble burst and banks went under, again before he took office.

He was the one that ran up the debt to record levels in the previous 8 years, by engaging in war mongering....

Does he deserve criticism, absolutely...I think he's shown very little backbone as president, but catch phrases like 'Food Stamp President' are downright stupid.

I think Bill said it best:

You got to get one thing — it takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what you did.

F6_Turbo

September 10, 2012, 02:34 AM

The republican party is basically like our political parties now(like BrianLara7 says...). Their need to govern and be right trumphs the good of the country...all the while, they keep talking about how the people are with them.

Sound familiar?

AL goes to clean up BNP mess - Khaleda says they are illegitimate and the people want them gone(she wants them gone).

BNP takes over, and AL says they're destroying everything and the people can't handle another day of this rule, govt has to be overthrown immediately and at any cost(so they create a ton of mess in every way imaginable).

All the while, none of them did anything wrong while in power, and the other side did nothing right. Not to mention the millions and millions of people who voted them into power, all of a sudden don't matter.

Zunaid

September 10, 2012, 02:51 AM

^^

Yup and that's why Bill Clinron's speech was a cut off in how he acknowledged the contributions of Republican presidents of the past - starting off with Eisenhower sending in the troops to assist in the integration of the Little Rock schools. He mentioned the spirit of cooperation and both presidents Bush in the same breath.

He said:

And so here’s what I want to say to you, and here’s what I want the people at home to think about. When times are tough and people are frustrated and angry and hurting and uncertain, the politics of constant conflict may be good. But what is good politics does not necessarily work in the real world. What works in the real world is cooperation. What works in the real world is cooperation, business and government, foundations and universities.

While Bangladesh's perverse and broken political system is solely driven by the politics of confrontation. Both the major political party's leadership is stuffed with venal and corrupt yes-men and women who kowtow to the women whose inner drive is predicated by vengeance and not by a desire to do good.

After DNC, Obama is leading Romney by 4 points now. Its not a lot given the margin of errors. I am looking forward to Presidential debates in October. Obama is expected to crush Romney in them while I think Paul Ryan will dominate over Biden.

P.S. The only Republican from the Primary I admired was Jon Huntsman from Utah. He is not divisive and has bipartisanship skills. I believe he was the ambassador to China and speaks fluent Mandarin. Sadly, he has been ostracized by Republican base and was not even invited to RNC.

F6_Turbo

September 11, 2012, 05:05 AM

After DNC, Obama is leading Romney by 4 points now. Its not a lot given the margin of errors. I am looking forward to Presidential debates in October. Obama is expected to crush Romney in them while I think Paul Ryan will dominate over Biden.

P.S. The only Republican from the Primary I admired was Jon Huntsman from Utah. He is not divisive and has bipartisanship skills. I believe he was the ambassador to China and speaks fluent Mandarin. Sadly, he has been ostracized by Republican base and was not even invited to RNC.

Think Biden will surprise you...his folksy style has a way of connecting with people. Ryan is young and good looking, but he is a liar. It's easy to look good and sound good when preaching to the choir, but when you get asked questions, and your opponent has the opportunity to respond to your lies immediately, things are a lot tougher.

Biden will make a couple of gaffes(:lol: ) and he will ramble on at times...but he'll get his point across and come across as the more likable person in the end.

mufi_02

September 11, 2012, 09:15 AM

Yes, even though Ryan has the charm, he is a liar. His RNC speech failed fact-checking terribly and his mention of Wisconsin plant closing was an epic fail. Next day his office published a release saying "Well, Obama could have opened the plant", or something like that. Such a cheap shot. The Republican core is full of disgusting people this year from Romney/Ryan, Boehner, Reince Preibus and many more.

I watch Hannity (FOX) at 9 and Daily Show at 11 almost everyday. The difference is stark and shows how polarized the country has become.

Ajfar

September 16, 2012, 11:24 AM

Romney Aide On Middle East Protests: If Mitt Were President Instead Of Obama, 'You'd Be In A Different Situation'

I would love to know how genius President Romney could have avoided this situation?

If I want to keep my job I should be supporting Romney, if Obama gets elected again there will most likely be a defense budget cut. I received an email the other day at work, saying I should call my local rep and tell them about my concern over the defense budget cut that might be coming up in Dec/Jan. If this goes through GD will most likely have to lay off people, and considering I have only been working there for 4 months who knows I might be getting axed.

Nasif

September 17, 2012, 10:07 PM

A new video has surfaced where Mitt Romney said:
"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the President no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what...These are people who pay no income tax ...
"My job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Romney campaign is in damage control mode. Already had a press conf. an hour ago! lol

When he says 47% don't pay income tax...that includes students/retirees and people that don't make enough money to pay income tax...

For what it’s worth, this argument isn’t true. Among the Americans who paid no federal income taxes in 2011, 61 percent paid payroll taxes — which means they have jobs and, when you account for both sides of the payroll tax, they paid 15.3 percent of their income in taxes, which is higher than the 13.9 percent that Romney paid.

BOOM!

Part of the reason so many Americans don’t pay federal income taxes is that Republicans have passed a series of very large tax cuts that wiped out the income-tax liability for many Americans. That’s why, when you look at graphs of the percent of Americans who don’t pay income taxes, you see huge jumps after Ronald Reagan’s 1986 tax reform and George W. Bush’s 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. So whenever you hear that half of Americans don’t pay federal income taxes, remember: Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush helped build that.

...

So notice what happened here: Republicans have become outraged over the predictable effect of tax cuts they passed and are using that outrage as the justification for an agenda that further cuts taxes on the rich and pays for it by cutting social services for the non-rich.

Breakdown of the Romney speech by Ezra Klein of the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/09/17/romneys-theory-of-the-taker-class-and-why-it-matters/

Electrequiem

September 18, 2012, 12:23 AM

Romney is pretty much done for. This one will be a dagger - if Dems don't mess it up.

F6_Turbo

September 18, 2012, 07:23 AM

Romney is pretty much done for. This one will be a dagger - if Dems don't mess it up.

http://i.imgur.com/aKG4v.gif

iDumb

September 18, 2012, 06:43 PM

Romney is pretty much done for. This one will be a dagger - if Dems don't mess it up.

I want Obama to be re-elected and I always thought romney woulndn't stand much against Obama, however i disagree with you that comment of his would bring down his demise.

Whatever he said, I actually agree with a portion of it. however it was bad politics. I think it's gonna die down and I don't think it's gonna effect him much.

America has become one full charity nation.... I don't support that. And romney is right, some of these ppl dependending on charity thinks it's an entitlement, this mentality need to change.

Bill Clinton is Obama's attack dog. A sitting President has to demonstrate regality and finness. To churn the dirty facts out and hit the Reps under the gut, you need Clinton.

BANFAN

October 3, 2012, 12:26 PM

Waiting for the debate... I think Obama will win it. But it's always difficult for a running president than a opposition candidate.

mufi_02

October 3, 2012, 09:48 PM

Where was the Obama we know? He seemed so listless today. Surprisingly, Romney did amazingly well. He came up with numbers while Obama relied on rhetorics.

As CNN said, Clinton speech was the best moment for Obama campaign. And tonights debate was the best moment of Romney campaign so far.

Disappointed by Obama's performance.

F6_Turbo

October 3, 2012, 10:31 PM

Not sure why Romney surprised you? He is a decent debater...and he wupped Obama tonight. Not sure how much difference it's going to make in the long run...but Obama was very poor.

Ajfar

October 3, 2012, 10:42 PM

Obama kept on asking Romney what's your plan over and over again. He made himself look bad. I hope Biden will be more prepared for next week than Obama was today.

Equinox

October 4, 2012, 03:56 AM

Watching it now. So far not a very convincing performance from Obama. He seems hesitant and the oratory fluency is missing, contrary to Romney. Also he is coming across as disrespectful to his opponent; he isn't even standing up straight. Hope these aren't signs of Obama thinking he already has this in the bag.

Zeeshan

October 4, 2012, 12:15 PM

torke bitorke romoni na obama beshi poyent pelo?

Dilscoop

October 4, 2012, 03:27 PM

Horrible from Obama. Disappointed. Expected that from Romney, not Obama. But only reason Romney looked good because Obama was poor. Romney was average, but was made look high class b/c of Obama...

First time I've ever payed attention to the debate.

F6_Turbo

October 4, 2012, 03:47 PM

B and his team fighting back...calling out Romney for the lies he told during the debate. But he should have done that during the debate.

I think the next two will be much better. I was critical of Obama, but you can't blame him...Romney went on stage and changed all his policies.

he basically lied through his teeth, Obama expected Romney to stick to his policies, and to counter those...but he was faced with an opponent, who basically said, I agree with a lot of the policies the president is advocating, but I can make them better :lol:

Dilscoop

October 4, 2012, 06:00 PM

Tug Romney for president. That is all.

Fazal

October 5, 2012, 01:12 PM

Interesting perspective about Obama's problem in the debate and its comming from a liberal reporter of a liberal newspaper i.e. Washington Post...

"Barack Obama received a valuable reminder in his drubbing at Wednesday night’s debate (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/presidential-debate-two-candidates-on-state-two-different-ones-on-campaign-trail/2012/10/04/69038dd0-0e39-11e2-ba6c-07bd866eb71a_story.html): He is a president, not a king.

In the hours after the Republican challenger Mitt Romney embarrassed the incumbent in their first meeting, Obama loyalists expressed puzzlement that the incumbent had done badly. But Obama has only himself to blame, because he set himself up for Wednesday’s emperor-has-no-clothes moment. For the past four years, he has worked assiduously to avoid being questioned, maintaining a regal detachment from the media and other sources of dissent and skeptical inquiry. ..."

Link for full article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-president-obama-doesnt-meet-the-press/2012/10/04/ac688c8a-0e78-11e2-bb5e-492c0d30bff6_story.html)
</ARTICLE>

SS

October 5, 2012, 01:38 PM

Interesting perspective about Obama's problem in the debate and its comming from a liberal reporter of a liberal newspaper i.e. Washington Post...

"Barack Obama received a valuable reminder in his drubbing at Wednesday night’s debate (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/presidential-debate-two-candidates-on-state-two-different-ones-on-campaign-trail/2012/10/04/69038dd0-0e39-11e2-ba6c-07bd866eb71a_story.html): He is a president, not a king.

In the hours after the Republican challenger Mitt Romney embarrassed the incumbent in their first meeting, Obama loyalists expressed puzzlement that the incumbent had done badly. But Obama has only himself to blame, because he set himself up for Wednesday’s emperor-has-no-clothes moment. For the past four years, he has worked assiduously to avoid being questioned, maintaining a regal detachment from the media and other sources of dissent and skeptical inquiry. ..."

Link for full article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-president-obama-doesnt-meet-the-press/2012/10/04/ac688c8a-0e78-11e2-bb5e-492c0d30bff6_story.html)
</ARTICLE>

Unfortunately this is the harsh reality. I received an email just a few ago from our VP pretty much saying those exact same thing, except he put it a little more nicer. If Obama gets reelected I most likely will be screwed, but no way in hell I'm voting for this Romney clown. I would rather not vote at all than vote for Romney.

Fazal

October 10, 2012, 07:34 PM

Young but controversial ideas vs Senile but loose cannon.

Would be interesting to watch.

Rep Game Plan: Wait for slip of tongue and he will self destruct

Dem Game Plan: Attack.. attack and attack on Ryan Plan

Fazal

October 10, 2012, 07:37 PM

If Obama gets reelected I most likely will be screwed, but no way in hell I'm voting for this Romney clown. I would rather not vote at all than vote for Romney.

A non-vote for Obama is a win for Romney.

On the other hand, your vote is a non-factor anyway unless you are from one of those 9 toss-up states.

FaHiMa

October 11, 2012, 10:21 PM

Biden was the clear winner of the debate. He spoke specifics and Paul was vague.

Nasif

October 11, 2012, 10:22 PM

Robotic Ryan was clueless to answer any of the difficult questions. 0

FaHiMa

October 11, 2012, 10:23 PM

^ CNN poll says otherwise :wow: Not that I take their poll seriously.

Nasif

October 11, 2012, 10:27 PM

^^^ +/-5

I watched the whole debate. Ryan had very little on facts, he was mosty on "vaporware"

Biden was strong and honest in his approach. He spoke with passion and conviction.

Zunaid

October 11, 2012, 10:28 PM

A non-vote for Obama is a win for Romney.

On the other hand, your vote is a non-factor anyway unless you are from one of those 9 toss-up states.

Mine really is. I'll vote but my registration is in CA.

FaHiMa

October 11, 2012, 10:29 PM

Biden also wins for the fastest on the spot fact checking

FaHiMa

October 11, 2012, 10:32 PM

LOL as for the wrong things coming out of Bidens mouth remark...not enough came out of Ryans.

Nasif

October 11, 2012, 10:44 PM

Question of the night was:
"Do you actually HAVE the specifics or are you still working on it and that's why you won't tell voters?"

Fazal

October 12, 2012, 12:15 AM

Who won the debate?

So far I have only seen CNN poll:

Ryan 48%
Bide 44%

As for me, here is my observation:

Biden must have inhaled Helium as it looked like he was laughing (for no reason) a lot.

Ryan must have diabetes or must be really nervous,as he was drinking water a lot.

FaHiMa

October 12, 2012, 12:20 AM

Who won the debate?

So far I have only seen CNN poll:

Ryan 48%
Bide 44%

As for me, here is my observation:

Biden must have inhaled Helium as it looked like he was laughing (for no reason) a lot.

Ryan must have diabetes or must be really nervous,as he was drinking water a lot.

LOL my mom was asking the same question, why was Ryan drinking water every other sentence?

& to quote myself

^ CNN poll says otherwise :wow: Not that I take their poll seriously.

HereWeGo

October 12, 2012, 03:12 AM

Biden was soooooo annoying today!! He did not even let Ryan talk which was really annoying even for a liberal guy (read Obama/Biden supporter) like me.

Fazal

October 12, 2012, 07:50 AM

Biden was soooooo annoying today!! He did not even let Ryan talk which was really annoying even for a liberal guy (read Obama/Biden supporter) like me.

... and that may further turn -off "undecided" voters. “Undecided” voters by definition are undecided and they are open to listen both sides and make their own decision. And Biden's repeated interruption, making faces, body language, his shouting, his angry face, will not bode well with the "undecided" voters, specially undecided women voters. After-all besides facts, these things matters…sometimes more than it should be ….just go back to Gore vs Bush debate.

Biden looked un-presidential material in this particular debate as he was in a way lacking common decency in a debate. Omaba’s aloofness (1st debate) and Biden’s inability to engage himself in a civil debate with opponent (this debate) may explain why this government failed to work effectively with their counterpart (Republican) unlike Clinton, who managed to effectively make deals with his very hostile counterparts (Republicans).

As for me, its always fun to watch these debates and other activities and see how things develop (or fail to develop as expected) during this time of election year.

mufi_02

October 12, 2012, 08:53 AM

Biden's interruption was excessive at moments. But I think he tried to do the fact checking on spot. Romney came with a lot of numbers and claims only to be proven wrong by the fact checkers next day. Around 70 million people watched the 1st debate live and not many saw the fact checking results later. So they leave with the impression from the stage even though its full of false claims.

Biden had to intervene and do some fact checking and repeatedly push Ryan for some specifics. Ryan talked about GOP's 5 point economic plan but had no specifics. Again, no specifics about how only closing loopholes and deductions, they will reduce the spending.

Fazal

October 12, 2012, 09:03 AM

Biden's interruption was excessive at moments. But I think he tried to do the fact checking on spot. Romney came with a lot of numbers and claims only to be proven wrong by the fact checkers next day. Around 70 million people watched the 1st debate live and not many saw the fact checking results later. So they leave with the impression from the stage even though its full of false claims.

Biden had to intervene and do some fact checking and repeatedly push Ryan for some specifics. Ryan talked about GOP's 5 point economic plan but had no specifics. Again, no specifics about how only closing loopholes and deductions, they will reduce the spending.

Sure Biden need to dipute the fact where he feel its untrue. But what some people are questioning is: when he said and how he said it. And his body language even when he was not saying anything.... those dual camera just killed him specially when it was not his turn to spreak.

Biden rightfully disputed. But there is a way you do it. You let your oppoenent to fininsh and then you dipute the fact right away (which Obama didn't) ...not by interrupting 82 times while your opponent is speaking (during opponent's time) in a 90 minutes debate. Plus his body language , his unnecessary smiles and smirks, his demeanor. sometimes he looked very angry and rude when he speaked... even toward the moderator. Those are the things that may have some negative impact to "undecided voter" even he may have facts in his side. He may have over killed it.

mufi_02

October 12, 2012, 09:16 AM

Sure Biden need to dipute the fact where he feel its untrue. But what some people are questioning is: when he said and how he said it. And his body language even when he was not saying anything.... those dual camera just killed him specially when it was not his turn to spreak.

Biden rightfully disputed. But there is a way you do it. You let your oppoenent to fininsh and then you dipute the fact right away (which Obama didn't) ...not by innerrupting 82 times while your opponent is speaking (during opponent's time)i n a 90 minutes debate. Plus his body language , his unnecessary smiles and smirks, his demeanor. sometimes he looked very angry and rude when he speaked... even toward the moderator. Those are the things that may have some negative impact to "undecided voter" even he may have facts in his side. He may have over killed it.

Yeah I agree about excessive interruption and that condescending attitude. As you said, the dual camera hurt him and I think at times he forgot that camera was still with him when Ryan spoke. Early reaction was that the debate was a draw. I don't know what polls they will come up with today. CNN even claimed to have a scientific poll :facepalm:

FOX might call it a Ryan win and focus on Biden's dismissive look while MSNBC will consider a Biden win for the lack of Ryan's specifics. The country still remains divided.

FaHiMa

October 12, 2012, 09:28 AM

So the undecided voters will make their decision solely on Biden's body language? Last I checked, the content/answers is what makes the difference. You can't ignore Biden's "excessive" interruptions, but he wasn't completely off.

ialbd

October 12, 2012, 09:37 AM

Who won the debate?

So far I have only seen CNN poll:

Ryan 48%
Bide 44%

thats malarkey.... ;)

mufi_02

October 12, 2012, 09:47 AM

So the undecided voters will make their decision solely on Biden's body language? Last I checked, the content/answers is what makes the difference. You can't ignore Biden's "excessive" interruptions, but he wasn't completely off.

As Fazal bhai said, Biden rightfully disputed but his tone and demeanor was somewhat condescending. Unfortunately, for many voters its the style that wins their votes. In post-debate CNN analysis, some were saying content wise it was a draw while in style Ryan won.

I think content wise it was a Biden win. Style wise maybe Ryan looked more elegant but once again its the content that matters.

BANFAN

October 12, 2012, 09:52 AM

^^^ +/-5

I watched the whole debate. Ryan had very little on facts, he was mosty on "vaporware"

Biden was strong and honest in his approach. He spoke with passion and conviction.

:up:

Ryan's answers were annoying too, for being too stubborn at times without facts or logic. I think that made Biden to react that way... I think Biden sounded more credible to me last night.

Fazal

October 12, 2012, 10:28 AM

So the undecided voters will make their decision solely on Biden's body language?

No. It will definetly not be a sole decision maker. Any impact it may have It may even be forgotten before the poll.

But the problem is the poll is getting so tight, all these can play a small part... and that may or may not be a decision maker who knows

Last I checked, the content/answers is what makes the difference.

You are right, that should be in ideal case. But in close election, in US politics, these other non-important issues played some role. Example: Bush vs Gore, How Dukakis was lost based on one single question, a picture of Garry hurt with a women in his lap, etc.

Fazal

October 12, 2012, 10:31 AM

:up:

Ryan's answers were annoying too, for being too stubborn at times without facts or logic. I think that made Biden to react that way... I think Biden sounded more credible to me last night.

BANFAN it doesn't matter what you think, you are a non-factor.

I was just joking.... it matters to us in this kind of discussion, regardless you are avoter or not.

Nasif

October 12, 2012, 11:10 AM

Real fact is every one voted, Republican Party would never see the light of the day. If everyone voted, swing states would not be a swing state, they would all be blue.

Unfortunately, most, and I mean the group 18-40, don't vote. If they did then blue would be the color of nation.

If everyone who voted in 2008 votes this year, Mitt can stay in his mansion.

I am going to say what Samuel Jackson said "wake the ...... up"

Fazal

October 12, 2012, 11:57 AM

If everyone who voted in 2008 votes this year, Mitt can stay in his mansion.

I guess you meant "If everyone who voted for Obama in 2008 votes for him again this year". Yes thats true, then Mitt can forget about moving to DC.

However I am not sure every body who voted for him in 2008, will ALL again vote for him this time. Some of them may stay home (as you mentioend) but some of them may even vote to someone else.

Last time he got some votes from independents and some party switcher. From Politics Junkie POV, Win or lose, at the end of the election, it would be nice to see how many of them Obama able to retain in 2012.

Dilscoop

October 12, 2012, 05:28 PM

I liked JB's (JB? :FP: ) approach. Sure it was rude but that's what that punk *** catholic boii and the Reps needed. JB pretty much told him to STFU and made him look clueless. JB's laughs were creepy as hell, but some of the ans. from Ryan deserved nothing better. His laughs were lot better than hearing R&R's "sweet stories" about how they sat down with this family and how those guys from that place came to them and bull****. I hope people are smart enough to not fell touched by those stories.

Like they said, JB stole OB's playbook. He let his stance be heard. Unlike the Reps, who aren't being specific with their ideas, could be because they are trying lean towards one side and lose the other, or because their plans are as vague as they look and sound.

Jadukor

October 12, 2012, 08:50 PM

As an outsider the american elections matter because most of us don't want another war in the middle east. Watched the debate on youtube and found it highly entertaining. For a 69 yr old Biden seems to have a lot of fire still left in him. Ryan was also impressive and very gentle even in the middle of so many inturruptions by Biden. I wonder if the american people are convinced by Ryan's answer to the deficit reduction question. Even after repeated questions about specifics there wasn't any from him.

....overall, Ryan lost out to Biden on the economy and on Medicare, two of the central issues of this campaign. Biden was able to effectively and persuasively argue that he and President Obama have been working for the middle class the past four years to ensure that they pay no more in taxes and are given the best shot at an even playing field by increasing taxes on the wealthy. He was authentic and aggressive. His passion for the middle class shone through while Ryan struggled to explain his plan.....

deshprem

October 16, 2012, 09:51 PM

just watched the 2nd Prez debate. Obama is such a baller!

Ajfar

October 16, 2012, 09:59 PM

Romney is such a liar. This guy started saying exactly opposite of things he said during the primary. I think it's safe to say, Obama's got this one in the bag.

Dilscoop

October 16, 2012, 11:00 PM

http://www.romneytaxplan.com/

Fazal

October 16, 2012, 11:13 PM

At-last Obama showed up. A good debate and a win for Obama for most of the polls.

But is it enough to stop the slide? We have to see next few days to find out.

cricket_pagol

October 17, 2012, 12:36 AM

At-last Obama showed up. A good debate and a win for Obama for most of the polls.

But is it enough to stop the slide? We have to see next few days to find out.

A similar debate performance in the next one will seal the deal for Obama. The big thing about the second debate is that the key moments that will be replayed from the debate will favor Obama. I thought majority of the key moments favored Obama (sketchy business deal analogy for tax plan and the Libya moment are the two big ones).

In general, Obama has a strong firewall at Ohio. Unless Romney can cut this lead; the race to 270 electoral vote favors Obama.

Antora

October 17, 2012, 02:59 AM

Good to see Obama back on track.

BANFAN

October 17, 2012, 06:13 AM

Romney is such a liar. This guy started saying exactly opposite of things he said during the primary. I think it's safe to say, Obama's got this one in the bag.

:up: :up: .....

mufi_02

October 17, 2012, 09:57 AM

Chris Rock
--CNN POST DEBATE POLL: It's real bad for Romney, I just saw a guy scraping a Romney bumper sticker off his car. It was Paul Ryan
--BREAKING NEWS: Ann Romney endorses Obama: "He understands me like no man ever has. He respects me, I didn't know men could do that."
--There are going to be Binders Full of Women voting for Obama on Nov.6

Andy Borowitz
--Romney: "I have nothing but respect for women. I'm good friends with the owners of some."
--Romney: "I can appeal to undecided voters. No one is more undecided than I am."

A similar debate performance in the next one will seal the deal for Obama. The big thing about the second debate is that the key moments that will be replayed from the debate will favor Obama. I thought majority of the key moments favored Obama (sketchy business deal analogy for tax plan and the Libya moment are the two big ones).

In general, Obama has a strong firewall at Ohio. Unless Romney can cut this lead; the race to 270 electoral vote favors Obama.

You may be right and CNN instant poll showed that Obama won the 2nd debate 46% to 39%.

However there are other stats that are not as favorable to Obama like: He didn't hit 50% Mark and 15% thought it was draw. Who are they? Some obviously are Republican, but the rest should be undecided or 3rd candidate.

Plus CNN Poll further states that:

* "Romney had a 49%-46% edge on which candidate seemed to be the stronger leader and 45%-43% margin on who answered questions more directly, while Obama had a 44%-40% advantage on which man seemed to care more about the audience members who asked questions."

* "According to the survey, Obama had a 47%-41% edge on which candidate was more likeable. But on some key issues, Romney came out on top, including an 18-point lead on the economy."

This may indicate that even Obama won the debate, Romney may also scored some point in key issues to the voter's mind.

Now is the slide reversed? Still too early as it will take few days before it shows up in the poll. However two poll I have seen (Gallpp & CNN) both cases obama slides one more point.

However I agree with you, even though in national poll obama is sliding, he has a clear advantage in electoral votes which matters most.

cricket_pagol

October 18, 2012, 08:46 PM

You may be right and CNN instant poll showed that Obama won the 2nd debate 46% to 39%.

However there are other stats that are not as favorable to Obama like: He didn't hit 50% Mark and 15% thought it was draw. Who are they? Some obviously are Republican, but the rest should be undecided or 3rd candidate.

Plus CNN Poll further states that:

* "Romney had a 49%-46% edge on which candidate seemed to be the stronger leader and 45%-43% margin on who answered questions more directly, while Obama had a 44%-40% advantage on which man seemed to care more about the audience members who asked questions."

* "According to the survey, Obama had a 47%-41% edge on which candidate was more likeable. But on some key issues, Romney came out on top, including an 18-point lead on the economy."

This may indicate that even Obama won the debate, Romney may also scored some point in key issues to the voter's mind.

Now is the slide reversed? Still too early as it will take few days before it shows up in the poll. However two poll I have seen (Gallpp & CNN) both cases obama slides one more point.

However I agree with you, even though in national poll obama is sliding, he has a clear advantage in electoral votes which matters most.

BTW, the CNN poll had a sampling of +8 R, compared to their usual polling sampling, so you have take that into consideration.

The swing state polls coming out today favors Obama, and samples are mostly pre-second debate. So we have to wait a bit for the full picture, mostly likely obama will get a small bounce compared to pre-debate polls.

The other important aspect is the ground game of the campaign. In 2008 obama outperformed most polls because of their game. Let's see what happens this time...

F6_Turbo

October 18, 2012, 11:17 PM

People always make a big deal out of these debates...but they matter very little in the big picture.

Obviously you don't want to come across as a total loser, but they really are more hype than substance

Ajfar

October 18, 2012, 11:24 PM

It's more of a popularity contest. Not to mention those poll results don't mean jack. They always say this % thinks obama won, this % voted that Romney performed better. How come they never mention the number of people that actually voted in the poll? Than people would actually realize how insignificant these polls are when you compare to the mass population.

But even when that fool makes jokes, he is so unlikeable. I hate his grin! But ending was touchy...

Fazal

October 19, 2012, 07:44 AM

It's more of a popularity contest. Not to mention those poll results don't mean jack. They always say this % thinks obama won, this % voted that Romney performed better. How come they never mention the number of people that actually voted in the poll? Than people would actually realize how insignificant these polls are when you compare to the mass population.

Very true. However to be fair to CNN pole about debate, they claim its scientific poll and its (as far as I remember) sample sized was from registered voter.

But in general term you are right and ususally it has little to no impact at all in election unless some really do very bad (compared to what is expected from him). Obama's 1st debate may be one of those as after that debate the gain by Romney is still holding up. However it may vanish before the election, who knows.

Fazal

October 19, 2012, 07:51 AM

BTW, the CNN poll had a sampling of +8 R, compared to their usual polling sampling, so you have take that into consideration.

The swing state polls coming out today favors Obama, and samples are mostly pre-second debate. So we have to wait a bit for the full picture, mostly likely obama will get a small bounce compared to pre-debate polls.
.

Yes swing states still favor Obama, and that's matter. By this weekend we should know, if there was any impact in poll due to 2nd debate. So far no bounce at all.

SS

October 19, 2012, 08:03 AM

Did CNN changed the sample size? I was seeing their poll over time and there was 1% change toward Romney.

Yes swing states still favor Obama, and that's matter. By this weekend we should know, if there was any impact in poll due to 2nd debate. So far no bounce at all.

Mama mystery of politics seem to be same everywhere ...so much dram like movie suspense...end of the day nothing changes for us!! Few days ago unemployment dropped next week more ppl again claimed, stock is like ruthless roller coaster, apple brings the share up and next time you hear tech giant like google going down, celebrate peace with negotiations next time you are at war...i need a damn vacation without electricity to avoid all these news and happenings ...

Fazal

October 19, 2012, 08:43 AM

Mama mystery of politics seem to be same everywhere ...so much dram like movie suspense...end of the day nothing changes for us!! Few days ago unemployment dropped next week more ppl again claimed, stock is like ruthless roller coaster, apple brings the share up and next time you hear tech giant like google going down, celebrate peace with negotiations next time you are at war...i need a damn vacation without electricity to avoid all these news and happenings ...

Yes SS you are 100% right. Things changes so rapidly, it doesn't make sense. Plus future looks so bleak regardless who lose ...who win. "Vacation with out electricity"... at fist I thought you meant lay-off with no money to pay electricty.

BTW, I love the polling analysis by Nate Silver. He had a stellar record in 2008, he makes good sense of confusing poll numbers. He gives weight to pollster based on it's track record in previous elections.
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/

I think the two main source of variability in poll numbers come from bias likely voter model (the voting population that shows up on polling day) used by the pollster and bias in sampling of poll participants from registered voters. For example if more than expected number of Black & Latino people show up in poll, it helps Obama. Similarly, if the white people in the polling sample come from south compared to west or north eastern states, the results will have a republican bias.

kalpurush

October 21, 2012, 04:52 AM

Well said ^^^
The more people show up to vote, the more chance to win for Obama, simple as that.

Dilscoop

October 22, 2012, 11:51 AM

Anyone watch SNL's 2nd debate parody? HILARIOUS!

Ajfar

October 22, 2012, 09:05 PM

Keep calling the lower class 'poor' Romney, you won't be getting any of that 47% vote.

Zunaid

October 22, 2012, 09:19 PM

That is what we call an a$$ whipping. Romney got whupped.

"We have these things called aircraft carriers and ships that go under the water, called submarines. ... Well governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets."

Ajfar

October 22, 2012, 09:35 PM

Is this really the best Republican Party can do? I would love to see a race between McCain and Romney. How did they manage to nomiate 2 clowns back to back.

F6_Turbo

October 23, 2012, 01:40 AM

Obama wins the debate that means the least...like anyone really gives a ****.

-Yes, we'll both continue to use drones in Pakistan, killing guilty and innocent alike.
-Yes, let's pretend like we're going to be tough on China
-Give me a sec, I'm just gonna change my US pin for an Israeli one right now
-Yes, we'll continue to punish the average Iranian like we did with Iraq and the crippling sanctions for years and years. Tough luck if this means they suffer, they deserve it for not standing up to dictators...because as we all know, dictators always give in when their citizens agitate or complain about their sufferings

I simply don't see the point of having a foreign policy debate...it is honestly a waste of time. I don't know anyone who changed their mind because of foreign policy. Males changing their mind because of the abortion debate....sure, but foreign policy, nope.

Your average American doesn't see or care about the nuances of Us foreign policy...it's all about us and them(strikingly similar to what the extremists say funnily enough!)

I think America is brilliant and without doubt the greatest nation on earth also deep down I do believe it is a force for good but the foreign policy continues to be disgusting, cowardly and hypocritical to the point of laughter.

BANFAN

October 23, 2012, 06:56 AM

?.......I simply don't see the point of having a foreign policy debate...it is honestly a waste of time. I don't know anyone who changed their mind because of foreign policy. Males changing their mind because of the abortion debate....sure, but foreign policy, nope.........

Ya...bcoz fundamentally it's all the same, just the approaches to achieve that, might just vary a little bit, sometimes....

NoName

October 23, 2012, 11:04 AM

Is this really the best Republican Party can do? I would love to see a race between McCain and Romney. How did they manage to nomiate 2 clowns back to back.

Have you seen the clowns Romney had to race against?:lol:

BANFAN

October 23, 2012, 02:14 PM

Have you seen the clowns Romney had to race against?:lol:

Hahaha... Imagine Santorum....against Obama...:lol:

kalpurush

October 23, 2012, 02:31 PM

Is this really the best Republican Party can do? I would love to see a race between McCain and Romney. How did they manage to nomiate 2 clowns back to back.
Well, McCain is a far better politician and person than Romney IMHO.

Ajfar

October 23, 2012, 03:49 PM

Have you seen the clowns Romney had to race against?:lol:

They never gave Ron Paul a fair chance. If Ron Paul made it through, dude would have caused some serious problem for Obama.

cricman

October 23, 2012, 04:35 PM

You guys will be surprised when Mitt Romney is named the 45th President of the United States

:(

NoName

October 23, 2012, 06:08 PM

They never gave Ron Paul a fair chance. If Ron Paul made it through, dude would have caused some serious problem for Obama.

His libertarian views was a big no-no in the US, heck anything that deviates just a little from the 'right' is shunned upon that is why Obama is called a 'leftist' when in actuality he's more conservative than any mainstream liberal politician (American 'left' has a much different meaning for some reason) . FOX news avoided him, and so did MSNBC since he didn't fit any of their views. Plus they didn't like his isolationist views, but I agree he was not an idiot compared to the other politicians, but no one like him since he was the 'new kid'.

SS

October 23, 2012, 08:31 PM

You guys will be surprised when Mitt Romney is named the 45th President of the United States

:(

Yea I was thinking the same (as I always do) ...Romney might get Ohio and Florida...and tomorrow Trumph's new might change the game

Yea I was thinking the same (as I always do) ...Romney might get Ohio and Florida...and tomorrow Trumph's new might change the game

Romney's chance of winning....

Florida? Most likely yes.
Virginia? May be.

Ohio? Doesn't look like.

Still looks like Romney may win popular vote but Obama will win electoral votes.. unless we see some kind of October surprise.

Democrats are happy with Obama's 3rd debate, and Republican's are disappointed.

For undecided liberals/leaning towards 3rd party, its a lose-lose proposition. When Republican candidate agrees with seating democrat president in foreign policy that tells a lot about current foreign policy (which haven't changed much from Bush administration) .... party changes but foreign policy doesn't change a lot.

May be that's why frustrated Cindy Sheehan (antiwar activist and mother of Casey who died in Iraq) said "Barack Obama similar to George W. Bush" in foreign policy.

Foreign policy is where Obama has been a big disappointment for me. Give me Bill any day. I will continue to effect change from within.

NoName

October 23, 2012, 11:55 PM

Depends on which sea Romney was talking about, Iran did send a couple of 'warship's to the Mediterranean sea not too long ago....But then again those ships would have to travel through the Persian Gulf.

Zunaid

October 23, 2012, 11:57 PM

Depends on which sea Romney was talking about, Iran did send a couple of 'warship's to the Mediterranean sea not too long ago.

Doesn't really matter as Syria and Iran does not share a border in addition to Iran having two ways to reach the Mediterranean Sea on its own.

They never gave Ron Paul a fair chance. If Ron Paul made it through, dude would have caused some serious problem for Obama.

:floor::floor::floor:

Seriously what alternative reality do you reside in? He is a mentalist...just because he says he believes in a non-interventionist foreign policy and the hippies like him, doesn't mean he is a serious threat to anyone, but himself.

The man would be a bad and dangerous president not only for the US, but for the world as a whole.

The only superpower in the world being isolationist :facepalm: Getting rid of a ton of federal departments...:floor::floor:

cricman

October 24, 2012, 12:38 AM

The electoral college is fine

If it ever went to a popular vote, it would only take One Republican Presidency to galvanize the Democrats.

You'd see close to 75-80% turnout in NY and CA

cricket_pagol

October 24, 2012, 01:19 AM

Foreign policy is where Obama has been a big disappointment for me. Give me Bill any day. I will continue to effect change from within.

In terms of foreign policy, do you seriously think there is big difference with Obama and Clinton. In terms of optics and connecting with people, Clinton was better without any doubt.

BANFAN

October 24, 2012, 03:35 AM

:floor::floor::floor:

Seriously what alternative reality do you reside in? He is a mentalist...just because he says he believes in a non-interventionist foreign policy and the hippies like him, doesn't mean he is a serious threat to anyone, but himself.

The man would be a bad and dangerous president not only for the US, but for the world as a whole.

The only superpower in the world being isolationist :facepalm: Getting rid of a ton of federal departments...:floor::floor:

I'm not a fan of Ron, but the way you are viewing the military interventions... Is kind of disturbing. You seriously think that, US military interventions are doing any good for the world and even US??

He is against military interventions... Not against engagement with other nations to resolve issues. When the only super power, creates issues to facilitate military interventions... That's the time it actually starts falling...I would call that guy a mental case, rather than Ron...

F6_Turbo

October 24, 2012, 03:53 AM

The world of international politics isn't black and white...I know you're too smart to believe that. The US isn't a charity and like all other empires before it, look to profit from conflict and a policy of divide and conquer.

But Bosnia and Kosovo are clear cases where the humanitarian side of US foreign policy shone through. Without NATO stepping in, the Bosnians would have been eradicated. I think the intervention in Somalia was for the greater good.

BANFAN

October 24, 2012, 04:50 AM

The world of international politics isn't black and white...I know you're too smart to believe that. The US isn't a charity and like all other empires before it, look to profit from conflict and a policy of divide and conquer.

You answered it. :) it's all Black...

........ I think the intervention in Somalia was for the greater good.

I can guarantee it wasn't. UN humanitarian assistance was forced by USA to withdraw from there. There was no extremism when US and later UN intervened in Somalia. It was a power struggle between Ali Mahdi a businessman who was nominated as the head interim government after the fall of Sayeed Bari govt and Farah Aidid, a retired military general, who happened to be the most popular.

USA chose to support the unpopular Ali Mahdi and suffered casualties in the hand of Aidid's forces. Had to withdraw under domestic pressure and then forced the UN to abandon Somalia, for the first time in the history of UN to have abandoned a site after deployment. Millions of people died, Aidid died and then the islamic extremists came up ... I really don't see any good, US intervention only destroyed the country, forget about greater good.

Navo

November 1, 2012, 01:39 PM

^ Michael Walzer in his Just and Unjust Wars discusses all the so-called 'humanitarian interventions' in history and found that, surprise surprise, almost none were without blatant economic self-interest. Those that were, like India's intervention during our war of liberation, still had a strong political interest.

i am not into jinixing but it's true it's a very tight race...only Reagan pull out of such scenarios with 7.4% unemployment...even Barry does it it would be miracle for this man with strange name...i'ts won't be easy next four years rather next January or February after holidays you never know another recession might hit soon...

Fazal

November 4, 2012, 07:12 PM

Is Obama is safe or not? Most of the polls says he has slight edge. But are the model correct?

Will it be tight election or one will be clear winner?

Who ever wins, I hope it is tight election up to the last moment.

The difference between Obama and Romney is the difference between lau and kodu.

Winning Ohio is the key to the President's second term. He wins Ohio, he wins the election with 270+ ECVs even if he loses other battleground states. That being said, high voter turnout in Iowa, Colorado, Florida, Virginia and New Hampshire will favor him enough to deliver those states.

Dilscoop

November 5, 2012, 10:54 PM

I'm in CA, we all know who's gonna win here, so should I even bother tomorrow?

Nasif

November 5, 2012, 11:42 PM

^^^ Answer is, always yes.

Dilscoop

November 5, 2012, 11:46 PM

This is my first time, so I should probably go. How long does it take usually? I gotta take a look at all the props again before I leave.

Nasif

November 6, 2012, 12:00 AM

Depends on area; but its usually quick off peak (mornings 8am-11am); later in the day will definitely have higher wait time.

Dilscoop

November 6, 2012, 12:11 AM

I have a midterm tomorrow. Get out after 12. That's lunch time. I should go around 2-3 then?

HereWeGo

November 6, 2012, 10:10 AM

Well, McCain is a far better politician and person than Romney IMHO.

I disagree, A shrewd politician will never choose Sarah palin as his running mate!!

iDumb

November 6, 2012, 12:11 PM

Regardless of what I said anything in the past for just sake of discussion and argument, I really hope Obama wins this election. I will be very very disappointed if he doesn't. No matter how hard I try to be otherwise, I think I am a true democrat in heart.

kalpurush

November 6, 2012, 12:57 PM

Regardless of what I said anything in the past for just sake of discussion and argument, I really hope Obama wins this election. I will be very very disappointed if he doesn't. No matter how hard I try to be otherwise, I think I am a true democrat in heart.
Did you cast your vote yet Orphy? Obama might need one more vote! :)

iDumb

November 6, 2012, 01:15 PM

I don't think I am registered. Obama has no hope if he needs my vote in NY. But I urge everyone, who is registered, regardless of the state to please vote here and vote for Obama. Specially important for those in swing/too close to call states... and please vote for the right president, that is Obama.

It's not just the U.S., the whole world's fate lie on your hands. Please get your butt out and vote.

Nasif bhai when does voting end? when is the earliest we'll get to know some results?

Equinox

November 6, 2012, 04:16 PM

Nasif bhai when does voting end? when is the earliest we'll get to know some results?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/nov/06/time-states-election-results-us

Dilscoop

November 6, 2012, 04:17 PM

Holyshit this is hard! I thought choosing my major and classes was difficult. I'm already indecisive as it is...

Prop 34 and stuff..

ialbd

November 6, 2012, 04:23 PM

thanks Equinox..

Nasif

November 6, 2012, 04:28 PM

Nasif bhai when does voting end? when is the earliest we'll get to know some results?

Results will start to coming in after 6pm. Most east coast states will close at 6pm.

AsifTheManRahman

November 6, 2012, 04:36 PM

That was an awesome video Nasif bhai. Some people have a lot of time on their hands. But credit where credit due - work of a genius.

Dilscoop

November 6, 2012, 04:44 PM

Just saw this chick wearing a R-Money shirt. LOL hilarious

cricket_pagol

November 6, 2012, 05:53 PM

This is a real video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdpGd74DrBM&feature=youtu.be

Source: http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/12q6wu/2012_voting_machine_altering_votes/
I'm the guy who shot the video, hopefully this doesn't get burried. You guys have questions, I have answers.
My wife and I went to the voting booths this morning before work. There were 4 older ladies running the show and 3 voting booths that are similar to a science fair project in how they fold up. They had an oval VOTE logo on top center and a cartridge slot on the left that the volunteers used to start your ballot.
I initially selected Obama but Romney was highlighted. I assumed it was being picky so I deselected Romney and tried Obama again, this time more carefully, and still got Romney. Being a software developer, I immediately went into troubleshoot mode. I first thought the calibration was off and tried selecting Jill Stein to actually highlight Obama. Nope. Jill Stein was selected just fine. Next I deselected her and started at the top of Romney's name and started tapping very closely together to find the 'active areas'. From the top of Romney's button down to the bottom of the black checkbox beside Obama's name was all active for Romney. From the bottom of that same checkbox to the bottom of the Obama button (basically a small white sliver) is what let me choose Obama. Stein's button was fine. All other buttons worked fine.
I asked the voters on either side of me if they had any problems and they reported they did not. I then called over a volunteer to have a look at it. She him hawed for a bit then calmly said "It's nothing to worry about, everything will be OK." and went back to what she was doing. I then recorded this video.
EDIT: There is a lot of speculation that the footage is edited. I'm not a video guy, but if it's possible to prove whether a video has been altered or not, I will GLADLY provide the raw footage to anyone who is willing to do so. The jumping frames are a result of the shitty camera app on my Android phone, nothing more.
EDIT2: I have been contacted by NBC Universal and BBC News.
EDIT3: A lot of news agencies are now messaging me here. Please email centralpavote@gmail.com instead.
EDIT4: This has blown up and I'm being bombarded by the media. I'm taking the second half of the day off and will be home in about 1 hour to start responding to the media.

I do not think this type of vote rigging is possible in US. Democrats have their people almost in every polling centre and they would definitely look into this type of possibilities.

Ajfar

November 6, 2012, 06:09 PM

My Obama vote's in. Everyone I talked to today was rooting for romney. I just don't get what people see in him. You just gotta take one good look at him and that crooked smile and you know he is up to something.

Dilscoop

November 6, 2012, 06:12 PM

My Obama vote's in. Everyone I talked to today was rooting for romney. I just don't get what people see in him. You just gotta take one good look at him and that crooked smile and you know he is lying right through his teeth.

Exactly. His face is not trustworthy. In my area it's kinda hard to find any Rep, but I'd love to know what rest of the rep cities see in him.

Nasif

November 6, 2012, 06:12 PM

I do not think this type of vote rigging is possible in US. Democrats have their people almost in every polling centre and they would definitely look into this type of possibilities.

That looks like a broken/defective screen digitizer; someone forgot to sync it with the screen edge. I am sure if he moves his finger bit down it would highlight Obama.